University of Idaho housing options: a guide

Find the on-campus housing option right for you

File photo | Student Media Anthony Outman | Argonaut Wallace is a residence hall with four wings and a variety of living spaces. There is co-ed, single gender and Greek housing sectioned by floors. Wallace also holds the University Housing office and Bob’s Place. The photo on the left appeared in the 1964 University of Idaho yearbook, Gem of the Mountains.

We know picking a place to live on campus can be hard, so we made a brief guide of the most talked-about living options on campus. There are four different options for students, fitting a variety of needs.

Laundry is included in all these options, with shared washers and dryers There are mini-fridges and microwaves in the dorm rooms, besides the Living Learning Communities (LLC) where a full-sized fridge and microwave are shared.

“First year students living in the residence halls, and all students living in Wallace Residence Center, Theophilus Tower and McConnell Hall are required to have a meal plan,” according to the University of Idaho Housing website.

These plans range in the number of meals provided at The Hub, the on campus dining hall and the number of dining dollars that are used for other on campus food locations.

Living Learning Communities

Rates: A double room is $2,626 a semester and a single room is $3,371 a semester.

Rooms all connect to a central living room with a kitchen area and a shared bathroom. Downstairs, each LLC has a fuller kitchen, with ovens and stoves.

Many of the eight different LLCs have a classification, like engineering or honors, allowing students to find a place that fits them.

According to the UI housing website, many of the LLCs are reserved for upperclassmen but the College of Natural Resources and Upham buildings are available to all students.

Papa John’s, Joe’s Cheesy Grill and The Grid — the closest UI has to a grocery store — are all located near the LLCs.

McConnell Hall

Rates: Rooms in McConnell are $3,182 a semester.

McConnell is for upperclassmen and transfer students only; it houses 55 students in single rooms a year, according to the UI housing website. The floors are separated by gender and bathrooms are communal. It is the most private and academically focused residence hall.

Theophilus Tower

Rates: A double room is $2,270 per semester and a single room is $3,120 a semester.

Theophilus Tower is 11 stories high and only houses freshmen. Floors are gender-specific, and bathrooms are shared among the floor. There are floors reserved for honors, engineering and computer science. As the only option that exclusively houses freshmen, it is meant to provide many social opportunities for new students.

Wallace Residence Center

Rates: A double room is $2,315 per semester and a single room is $3,182 a semester. A Stevenson single room is $3,371.

Single rooms in Wallace are on a buy-out basis, meaning the student would be paying for a double room.

Don’t want to leave the building to get to the on campus dining hall? Look no further than Wallace Residence Center, connected directly to The Hub. With four wings and co-ed floors, Wallace is a housing option for both upper and lowerclassmen at UI.

The floors in each wing have individual lounges. The building’s basement has laundry facilities, a kitchenette and community spaces.

The wings are separated by first year or non-first year. Freshmen are allowed to live in Ballard, Willey and Gooding. Upperclassmen can live in Stevenson.

Further details on dorms, meal plans and costs can be found on the university’s Housing & Residence Life page.

Kali Nelson can be reached at [email protected]

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